Current motor



Oct. 11, 1927.

.L1 H. HARDcAsTLE CURRENT MOTOR Filed Jan. 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet k1 fwn.

Oct; 11 1927' J. H. HARDCASTLE CURRENT MOTOR Filed Jan, 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuntqz JE /vla api/e@ Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. y

JOI-IN H. HARDCASTLE, OF GOODLETTSVILLE, TENNESSEE.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Application led January 25, 1927. Serial No. 163,459.

This invention relates to current motors. An important object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which may be very readily and cheaply manufac tured and installed and which is of such structure that adjustments may be readily made to compensate for rise and fall of the stream in which it is disposed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved bucket construction for use in connection with motors of this character.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device for deflecting the heavy dbris, so that the current motor may be located in the proper channel of the stream and heavy dbris prevented from coming into contact with the buckets thereof or accordance with mv invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; i

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the delector;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the buckets.

Referring now more particularly rto the drawings, the numerals 10, 11 and 12 ind icate vertical standards embedded at their lower ends in the bottom of the stream aligning longitudinally of the current path. The upstream face of each support 10, 1.1 and 12 is provided with a vertically extending. track 13 in which is slidably mounted a bearing 14 for a transversely extending shaft 15, the ends of which are provided with sprockets 16 well spaced from the side faces of the support. The bearings 14 are vertically adjustable by means of screws 17 rotatably connected with the bearings 14 at their lower ends and at the upper ends of the supports passing through fixed nuts 18. The upper ends of these iscrews will be provided with hand wheels 19 or any other suitable means for rotating the screws to provide proper 'adjustment of the bearings 14.

Each shaft 15 has secured thereto a gear 20 meshing With a gear 21 upon the lower end of a telescopic shaft, the sections of which are indicated at 22 and 23. The seci tion 22 or lower section is rotatably mounted in a vertically directed bearing 24 carried by the associated bear-ing 14, while the section 23 is rotatively mounted in avvertically directed bearing 25 fixed to the upper end of the associated support. From the upper eiidsof the sections 23, a drive may be taken off. In the present instance, I have shown the upper end of each shaft section 23 as equipped with a gear 26 meshing with a gear 27 upon a longitudinally extending shaft 28. This shaft may be equipped with pulleys 29 or any suitable drive takeoff devices.

The sprockets, upon corresponding ends of the shafts 15, are connected by sprocket chains 30, each having secured thereto a series of longitudinally spaced bellows-like buckets, generally indicated at 31. These buckets, which are preferably of considerable length, each include a chain. engaging wall 'i' formed in av plurality of sections, alternate vsections being rigid, as indicated at 32, while the intervening sections areflexible, as indicated at 33. This provides. a structure permitting the bucket wall to be made of a length greater than the length of the links 34 of `thev chain and at the same time permits ready passage of this wall about the curved pathsfornied by the passage' of the chains over the endinost sprocket. The outer wall 35 of the bucket is rigid and is connected to theinner wall by a flexible bellows-like wall 36. Vith the chainsmoving in the direc tion of the arrows'of Figure 1, the outer wall l of each bucket, as the bucket passes over the right-hand sprocket, drops by gravity and is positioned to receive the force of the current. As the bucket passes over the lefteh'and sprocket, any water contained therein is discharged and the bucket collapses by gravity until it occupies the closed position illustrated.

It will be obvious that where a device of this character is made of any considerable length, there will be a tendency of the lower runs of the chains 30 to sag and leavethe central sprocket. lVhile this sagging will not interfere with operation, if it becomes excessive, it will have a tendency to cause undue strain and wear upon the parts. For this reason, I connect to the bearing 14 of the standard 11 a slide 37 having arms 38, the ends of which underlie the chains and are provided with supports 3% extending longitudinally of the chains- It will be obi#` viousthat this slide being fixed to the bearing lll will alivays have a fixed relation to the central sprocket and will provide a means for limiting` the separation of the buckets from the central sprockets.

In order that heavy drift mayV be prevented from coming' into contact With the mechanism, I secure to the bearing 14: associated With the standard l() a rigid arm l0 pro lUieoting horizontally upstream from the of a collar engaged with the screw 17 of they standard 10.

It ,Will be obvious that during operation, the arms 42 will be slowly rotated and by their engagement against drift Will deflect it to vone side, so that it ivillnot come into damaging contactivith the mechanism.

.Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of .change and modificationfvvithout materially 'departing from Vthe spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structure except vas hereinafter claimed.

I-claim:-

l.V A current motor ,comprising a plurality of; standards aligned longitudinally ofl the ourrent,a horizontal bearing vertically adjustable 4upon each standard and directed 0 transversely thereof, a shaft rotatably mounted in each bearing, sprockets carried by vopposite-ends of each. shaft, chains fengaging corresponding sprockets of said shafts, buckets carrie-d by the chains, an arm extending forwardly fromthe support or standard yarranged furthest upstream, a rotatable de- .fflector carried by said .arm andeitending transversely of the current and a driving connection betvven said detlector and one of said shafts.

2. A bucket for current motors comprising apair of WallsV hinge'dly connected at one end and a flexible connection betiveen said Walls at the side edges thereof, one of said Walls being rigid, the other of the Walls being formed in alternate rigid and liexible sections.

3. A current motor comprising a plurality of Standards aligned longitudinally ofthe current, a horizontal bearing vertically adjustable upon each stan-dard and directed transversely thereof, a shaft rotatably mounted in each bearing, sprockets carried by oppositie ends of each shaft, chains engaging correspoi'iding sprockets of said shafts, bucket-s carried by the chains, a horizontal shaft extending.longitudinally of the upper ends of the supports and adrive connecting each of the first named shafts With the last named shafts, each of said drives inclu-ding telescopic shaft sections.

4. A current motor comprising a-plurality of standards*y adapted to be aligned longitudinally of the current, a guide carried by the upstream face of each standard, a bearing slidable in the guide, a screw rotatably engaged at its loivei" end With the bte-siringa` fixed nut ,at the upper` end of each standard through Whichthe associated screw is directed, a transversely extending shaft carried by each bearing, sprockets carried by opposite ends of each shaft, ychains carried by the sprockets, buckets carried by said chainsy a horizontal shaft cxtending'longitudinally of the upper ends of the standards and having a gear thereon for each standard, a gear. secured to the, shaft offeach bearing and a vertically extending shaft carried by each standard including telescopicv sections one having a gear. meshingv with the corresponding' gear'of the longitudinally extend ing shaft and the other` meshing with the gear of the associated bearing.

In testimony whereof hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN H. HARDGASTLE. 

